What do you guys use for custom work, from tools to paints to materials for things like lightboxes or puddy? I'm sure that we all have found different things, and I'm about as certain that new people entering the field would want to know of these things, as well as general tips. I mean, I'm still a noob by comparison to some of you guys.

For paints, I tend to lean towards acrylics, especially of the Tamiya variety. I'm fortunate enough to have a hobby store a couple towns over that carries the paints. At over double the size of other paints like Testors and generally a higher quality IMO, along with a quick drying time, they're really nice, if a bit expensive. They also have clear paints for tinting parts or 'candycoating' - painting a part with a base silver or aluminum, then painting the clear color over it to achieve a sort of glow.

Primers, I've had good experience with one of Model Master's enamel primer spray-on products. It gave a very nice coat, took to acrylic paint very well despite being recommended for enamel, and dried fairly quickly. I will advise against Testor's spray-on primers, as you can read in my ongoing saga of Natsume's recolor, that was a disaster.

As for other things, I use the fine point Gundam Markers for panel-lining, various paintbrushes for painting, and other miscellanious things from sprue clippers to files. Can someone tell me though how to:

1) Make a good lightbox for photography

2) How to use a hobby knife (I've NEVER been able to determine its purpose).

A hobby knife is just an exacto blade. It is to clean up nubs left from sprues, or to do fine detail work in some types of polymer clays. It makes very clean cuts and has a small point so to be precise.

MrHolister wrote:A hobby knife is just an exacto blade. It is to clean up nubs left from sprues, or to do fine detail work in some types of polymer clays. It makes very clean cuts and has a small point so to be precise.

Huh. I can see it for the clays, but I've always used files/sandpaper for nubs. *shrug* To each their own!

file and sandpaper
1. file set (not a must)
2. sandpaper - for smoothing surface. They have 2 type wet and dry and the more number mean the more fine. you should have No. 600, 800 and 1000. 1000 for finishing.http://www.heavyarmourstudio.com/InstructTools2.html

Glue & epoxy & putty
1. Plastic Cement: this will melt plastic a little and bond it together
2. Super Glue:
3. Epoxy Putty: for sculpt, I use Alteco because of low price
4. Tamiya Putty or Mori Mori: for detail

Coloring
1. Spray Can: Tamiya is suitable for modeling
2. Gunze or Tamiya Acrylic Color: for painting with Brush or Air Brush
- Surface Color: first layer of color before you paint with Air Brush. it will make color more durable and make surface flat.
- Color: use any color you want
- Clear or Top coat: last layer after you finish panel lining and attach decal. this will made color and decal more durable
3. thinner: to dissolve color. it's not necessary to use Gunze or Tamiya
4. retarder: additive thinner for easy painting by brush
5. enamel color: black for panel lining after you paint your work ( before top coat)
6. Ronsonol lighter fuel: for cleanning enamel colorhttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xPlHhw_9XDw/S ... +fluid.jpg

Why would you want to make a DIY lightbox?
When you can buy one for really cheap (an yes i had seen in japanese "Model Graphix" model kits magazine, that lightbox for 17k yens... ;___;).
Never use a DIY if you can buy something good for the sillghty more money. But thats just me...
Here at Allegro.pl (Polish version of Ebay) you can buy a lightbox + 2 LED lights for around 20-25 $.

I use Pactra ( cheap good for dioramas etc.), Games Workshop and Gunze/Mr. Hobby now.
Are Tamiya Acrylics that good? I am using airbrush now (better that the first one but still not Iwata level).